Sorption, uptake, trophic transfer and immunotoxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics in the aquatic environment
Abstract
Plastic pollution is one of the biggest emerging issues that the world faces today. Microplastics (100 nm - 5 mm) and nanoplastics (1nm - 100 nm), are small pieces of plastics that mainly result from environmental degradation of plastic debris. Their ubiquitous presence, resistance to aging, small size, diverse physicochemical characteristics, and lack of analytical methods for their detection and quantification, have raised the concern of their potential impact on the environment and human health. Studies have shown their potential roll as vectors of pollutants in the environment through the sorption of water pollutants onto plastic particles. Studies have also shown the potential for accumulation and toxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics in aquatic organisms. However, it is uncertain how microplastics and nanoplastics interact specifically with different types of pollutants, how much and for how long they can be taken up, accumulate and transfer in the trophic chain. In addition, the mechanism of toxicity in aquatic organisms remains unclear. Research from this dissertation will investigate the sorption behavior, uptake, trophic transfer, accumulation, depuration, and immunotoxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics in the aquatic environment and freshwater aquatic organisms. \nThe sorption behavior of three non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was examined with four types of microplastics under varying water conditions. Low sorption occurred between NSAIDs…
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